Playstation store revamped

Sony Computer Entertainments Europe and America have made official a redesign of the PlayStation Network's PlayStation Store. The new-look site will go live in approximately two weeks. Unfortunately, though work is underway on the new-and-improved store experience, the old one won't be receiving its traditional weekly update.

There will be no more weekly content updates before the relaunch of the new store in mid-April (from today in Europe, from April 3 in North America), although games and content that have already been uploaded--including Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in Europe--will continue to be available. Presumably, the new store will be up and running in time for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue's scheduled US release date of April 17.

Ubisoft earnings

While the future remains rosy for the publisher, the past is making the present a delightful period for investors as well. Ubisoft said today that more than 2 million units of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 have been sold to retailers since it went on sale March 18, a number CEO Yves Guillemot called "better than expected." Combined with continued strong sales of last year's critically lionized action adventure Assassin's Creed, the publisher today said it would once again be raising its fiscal 2008 full-year outlook.

With the publisher's first revision coming in December and a subsequent upward assessment following in January, Ubisoft today said it expects its full-year haul to amount to €920 million (about $1.45 billion), up from previous projections of €875 million (about $1.38 billion). Operating income saw a similar boost and is now expected to amount to 14 percent of the publisher's full-year revenues, up from 13 percent. Likewise, Ubisoft raised its estimates for the quarter ended March 31 to €210 million (about $331 million), up from €165 million (about $260 million).

Wilson heads to Atari

Today, Atari and Infogrames made their next move in the road to recovery, announcing that fellow Sony alum Jim Wilson will join Harrison in the publishers' executive ranks as CEO and president of Atari, effectively immediately. Wilson steps into the position vacated by David Pierce, who bid the company au revoir in November after just one year at its head.

Wilson boasts an extensive 15-year track record at the executive level in the gaming and entertainment industry. Most recently, Wilson served as executive VP and general manager of Sony BMG's home entertainment business, overseeing development of products from partners such as Sesame Workshop, World Wrestling Entertainment, and Classic Media. Prior to Sony BMG, Wilson oversaw the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon licenses as president of Universal Interactive. Following Vivendi's acquisition of Universal, Wilson transitioned into the role of executive president/general manager of worldwide studios for Vivendi Universal Games.

Portal Music wins Rock Band

For being a pack-in puzzle game positioned alongside one of the greatest first-person shooters ever made, Valve's Portal did pretty well for itself. While its finely crafted story and innovative play mechanics garnered it critical acclaim and a Game Developers Choice Game of the Year Award, it was GLaDOS, her alleged cake, and the Jonathan Coulton-penned "Still Alive" ending credits song that won the hearts of many gamers.

During this year's GDC, Valve and Harmonix revealed that GLaDOS' swan song would be added to Rock Band as a downloadable track. Good news, for sure, but today Harmonix one-upped that news, saying that not only would a master recording of "Still Alive" be available for download tomorrow on Xbox Live in honor of April Fool's Day, but it would be absolutely free as well.

Final Fantasy Fables for Wii

Final Fantasy XIII may be a PlayStation 3 exclusive, but the Square Enix role-playing franchise is by no means system-monogamous. Three spin-offs to the series have already been confirmed for Nintendo's Wii: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, and today the publisher finally nailed down a release date for one of those offerings.

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon will launch in North America on July 8 and carry a price of $39.99. In the game, series regular Cid and one of the ostrichlike Chocobo creatures must travel through a variety of dungeons to help a town full of amnesia-stricken people regain their memories.

Multiplatform MotoGP

Now one of the more unusual cases of divided rights is no more. At one time, the MotoGP motorcycle racing circuit had a deal with Namco Bandai to produce games on Sony platforms, and a separate deal with THQ for the PC and Xbox line of systems. Capcom struck a deal to create MotoGP games on Sony's systems last year, and today the publisher announced that it had picked up rights to the remainder of gaming platforms, including mobile phones. In addition to making Capcom the exclusive publisher of MotoGP games on all platforms, the five-year agreement also gives the company the rights to make peripherals based on the circuit.

MotoGP's move away from THQ as a licensing partner isn't entirely surprising. In 2006, THQ took a step back from the series and publicly said it was "evaluating the viability of the brand" after its next installment, a decision prompted in part by the purchase of series developer Climax Racing by Disney Interactive Studios (then Buena Vista Games). Sure enough, MotoGP 07 was the final game in the series released by THQ.

Making shows for XBL

After launching the Xbox 360 in 2005, Microsoft was quick to position its console as a multipurpose media device, thanks in large part to Xbox Live. In addition to providing an online platform and networking service for games, Xbox Live has played home to an array of ancillary content, including standard- and high-definition films from major Hollywood outfits such as Paramount, Warner Bros., and Disney, as well as broadcast TV studios such as NBC, CBS, and ABC.

Licensed content well accounted for, Microsoft is now looking to enter the realm of original video content, as the Xbox maker has signed on Safran Company to create and distribute original programming to appear on Xbox Live, reports The New York Times. Headed by Hollywood veteran Peter Safran, the production company represents high-profile artists such as Sean "P Diddy" Combs (8 Mile, Bad Boys II), Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, A Wilderness of Monkeys), and writer Aaron Seltzer (Scary Movie 2, Epic Movie).

According to the Times, Safran's first run of programming will be scripted ventures that run under 10 minutes and span a variety of genres that appeal primarily to men aged 14 to 34, including comedy and horror, which are considered to be the Xbox 360's primary audience. The first shows are expected to appear on Xbox Live this fall, and Safran said the content may appear in other venues after its initial run on the Xbox 360. Also speaking to the Times, Xbox Live global marketing manager Scott Nocas said that some of the shows may be ad-supported.

Out of step?

Australia is "out of step" with the rest of the developed world due to its lack of an R18+ rating for videogames, Victorian Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls says.

The Deputy Premier's strong critique comes after Australia's Federal, State, and Territory Attorneys-General met last week and agreed on starting a public consultation process to explore the games classification issue. Currently, the top rating available for video games in Australia is MA15+, as opposed to R18+ for films and DVD. Any title deemed unsuitable for the MA15+ rating is illegal for sale in this country.

Australia's Federal Government has still not decided on whether it supports the introduction of an R18+ rating for video games, saying it first wants to gather community opinion before formalizing its stance. A spokeswoman for Federal Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus says the Government will soon ask for community submissions about whether Australia needs to expand games classification to include an R18+ rating. The spokeswoman said the Minister was particularly keen to hear from parents to see if an R18+ rating would further "empower" them. No date has been set for the start of the consultation process.

For any change to the ratings system to be made, all of Australia's government Attorneys-General will have to agree on the decision. South Australian Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Multicultural Affairs Michael Atkinson has consistently opposed an R18+ rating. "I do not want children to be able to get their hands on R18+ games easily. I understand that the lack of an R18+ classification denies some adults the chance to play some games, however, the need to keep potentially harmful material away from children is far more important." Atkinson said in a recent parliamentary statement.

No further gaming consoles Xbox fears

Convergence is a big theme in the gaming industry right now. Gaming devices no longer just play games: The PlayStation Portable is a phone; the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will both get digital video recorder functionality; and the DS can be an interactive program at the ball game or a museum tour guide.

One former industry heavyweight thinks the technological convergence of the industry is such a growing trend that in 5 to 10 years, he believes, dedicated gaming systems will be a thing of the past. Before he retired from his role as vice president of Microsoft's European home and entertainment division in 2003, Sandy Duncan oversaw the company's Xbox operations in the continent. Now Duncan's back in the gaming industry as the CEO of upstart game development site YoYo Games, and he shared his view of the future in an interview with That VideoGame Blog.

Warhawk: Operation Broken Mirror

With the third free major update slated to arrive in April, Warhawk game director Dylan Jobe said today by way of Sony's official blog that the second booster pack, Operation: Broken Mirror, has gone gold and will be available for download alongside Gran Turismo 5 Prologue beginning on April 17.

As with the first booster pack, Broken Mirror will require a $7.99 entrance fee. Once purchased, gamers will have access to the new Vaporfield Glacier battlefield, which offers 10 different layouts. The booster pack also adds two new armored personnel carriers and 10 layouts for existing battlefields that have been designed to take advantage of the new vehicles.

WWE Smackdown vs Raw

In the three-way cage match that is the WWE-THQ-Jakks alliance, the game publisher has come out on top the most in recent months, with a United States District Court judge dismissing a WWE racketeering lawsuit brought against the two gamemakers in December, and THQ touting a court decision against Jakks over royalty rates earlier this month.

Luckily for fans of burly men grappling with one another, the entertainment label along with its game-making partners still manage to put aside their differences long enough to produce a game every year, and THQ today announced WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009 will take to the ring this fall. As with last year, THQ will be releasing editions of the game on nearly every current platform, including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii, and mobile.

Army of Two demo on April 1st

Sure, Army of Two may have ridden roughshod over the topical subject of hired mercenaries supplementing a professional army, but that shouldn't keep people from playing the game, right? By way of EA's official forums, EA assistant producer Matt Turner today confirmed that a demo for the game will hit Xbox Live on April 1. EA has confirmed that no such demo will be released for the PlayStation 3.

Guitar Hero Aerosmiths first track

Rhythm game peripherals aren't cheap, so it's a good thing the people who make them have been working to keep gamers happy with their purchase with fresh tunes. Whereas MTV Games and Harmonix have thus far built up Rock Band with a steady stream of downloadable tracks, Activision has by and large focused its efforts on creating all-new spin-off games. The first of these--Guitar Hero: Aerosmith--lets virtual rockers hop aboard Steven Tyler and co.'s tour bus on their storied quest for superstardom.
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Aerosmith gets busy in Activision's latest rhythm game.
Watch | Download

Today, Activision revealed the first details on what gamers can expect from its Aerosmith tribute. As previously noted, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will feature songs from both the legendary rockers as well as a number of their contemporaries, and Activision said today that of the 40-plus songs in the game, about 60 percent will be Aerosmith signatures, with the remaining 40 percent comprising both classic and modern rock outfits.

SOCOM Confrontation

By far one of the most popular franchises for PlayStation fans is Sony's SOCOM series of modern-day tactical shooters. Unfortunately, ever since the first PlayStation 3 installment in the franchise--SOCOM: Confrontation--was first revealed in May 2007, updates for Slant Six's second effort in the series (its first being Tactical Strike for the PSP) have been few and far between. However, that changed earlier this month when Sony gave asset-starved fans the first batch of screenshots for the shooter.

SOCOM in a high-def world.

With the game now in a state worthy of being shown off to the public, Sony has announced via its official blog that SOCOM: Confrontation will go hot on September 16, exclusively on the PS3. Similar to Incognito's Warhawk, Confrontation will be available at both brick-and-mortar retailers and as a digital download through the PlayStation Network.

GTA 4 trailer 4th trailer out

Today, Rockstar Games set loose the fourth trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV in anticipation of the game's April 29 release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The "Good Lord, What are You Doing?” aka “Everyone's a Rat" trailer gives eager gamers yet one more advanced look at Liberty City's criminal underworld, offering tantalizing scenes of high-speed chases, high-octane explosions, cinematic dialogue sequences, and scantily clad ladies.

ESA appoints Jefferson head of state

According to the ESA, Jefferson's role in this position will be to "advance the state and local government relations needs of companies publishing computer and video games." Jefferson will also continue with her other responsibilities at the ESA, overseeing the trade group's interests with national organizations representing state legislators and governors.

"Sally is well-known in state and local politics for her reliable and consistent industry representation. With her wealth of experience, contacts and knowledge, I am sure the ESA's members and the computer and video game industry writ-large will be well-served by her advancement," said Democratic Governors Association executive director Nathan Daschle.

Jefferson boasts an extensive track record working on and through Capitol Hill. Prior to joining the ESA, Jefferson served as executive director of congressional and public affairs for the US Chamber of Commerce, serving as the department's senior lobbyist. Jefferson also held an executive director position for a transportation coalition representing more than 300 business, labor, state, and local organizations.

Turok PC dated, map pack revealed

On the heels of that landmark, Touchstone had two other announcements for fans of Joseph Turok and his merry band of dinosaur hunters. First, the publisher said that PC gamers will be able to go Jurassic-style big game hunting on April 22. Similarly developed by Propaganda Games, the PC version of the game will feature the same storyline as seen in the console edition, and pack in 16-player competitive action. More on the PC version can be found in GameSpot's previous coverage of the game.

As its second big reveal today, Touchstone took the wraps off of the console editions' first map pack, which will be available on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network on March 27 for 400 Microsoft points or $4.99. The Velociraptor Pack will add five new maps to the game's multiplayer component. The Inconclusive Tests and A Rivalry Continues will be relit versions of The Testing Grounds and A Heated Rivalry, respectively, where darkness falls and players will navigate new hazards. Of the three other maps, one will be geared toward the game's co-op campaign component, while the remainder will be all-new adversarial maps. According to Touchstone, PC gamers will be able to download the map pack shortly after that version's release.

50 cents rearm for Blood on the Sand

Numbers such as those are difficult to dispute, so it comes with little surprise that Vivendi is prepping an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 follow-up, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. Speaking with MTV, Vivendi Games producer Aaron Blean said Blood in the Sand will feature the rapper-turned-media mogul in a "Three Kings meets Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels crime-story" semisequel to the original urban gangster shooter. Though story details are still under wraps, Fiddy will reportedly battle "a cabal of international gangsters on a far-flung, bullet-riddled adventure."

Swordfish Studios (Cold Winter) will be handling development duties for the project, and the development outfit has licensed Epic Games' near-ubiquitous Unreal Engine 3 to aid it in that process. Taking cues from Epic's Gears of War, gamers will primarily be dropped into the shoes of 50 Cent while being accompanied by a second character, with G Unit entourage Tony Yayo, Whoo Kid, and Lloyd Banks thus far named as selectable for the rapper's partner in global defense. As with Gears, co-op play will be available locally or online.

MTV also reports that Blood in the Sand will feature more than just the first game's shoot-'em-up gameplay, as both land- and air-based vehicle missions will be factored into the game. Like Bulletproof, however, the game will feature a variety of promotional media, including exclusive first-looks at videos and movies featuring the oft-perforated artist.

Take Two declines EA offer on GTA

GTA4 doesn't wait long next month, but Take Two, the publisher of GTA, urges Rockstar not to accept EA offer, which Rockstar didn't accept. Take Two said that EA games prices are too high although make advertisements, as EA says.

ESA narrows focus

The spending may be increasing, but the list of topics at issue for the trade group is lobbying is actually shrinking. Subjects on which the organization has quit trying to influence lawmakers include online gambling, taxation of virtual property, and Internet privacy. Now all of the ESA's chosen causes fall under headings of constitutional issues (free speech, game restriction laws), copyright law (piracy, intellectual property, and patent litigation), and trade concerns (countries to sanction over piracy concerns, free trade agreements, and regulatory concerns).

The ESA's lobbying expenditures topped those of a number of other entertainment trade groups. The Motion Picture Association of America's 2007 lobbying spend totaled $2.28 million, while the Recording Industry Association of America dropped $2.74 million to push its own agenda in Washington, DC. The Consumer Electronics Association, organizers of the CES trade show, spent $1.52 million to influence officials' stances on the government-mandated transition to digital television, energy efficiency, electronics recycling, and trade.

Warhammer dead until fall

Today, EA further demonstrated its commitment to hitting those two benchmarks. As noted in EA Mythic's monthly newsletter, Warhammer Online has been pushed back from EA's second fiscal quarter to a broad "fall" release. Echoing Jacobs' comments from several months ago, the game's latest moratorium is to allow time for further polish and fine-tuning as it gears up for primetime.

"During the most recent phase of beta testing, two things have become clear," Jacobs said today in the game's monthly newsletter. "One was that our key innovations--Public Quests, Tome of Knowledge, and Realm vs. Realm combat--were all coming along extremely well, as was the first stage of our innovative crafting system. The second, that the game would benefit from additional iteration time as well as adding a layer of polish or two. Fortunately, as part of Electronic Arts, we are able to do just that."

PS3 network hacked

From the title given, it appears users' passwords were at risk. Given access to such passwords, unauthorized users could sign on to an account, obtain the real user's personal information, change their password, and rack up charges on the PlayStation Store. While the store saves credit card numbers, it does not display the full number to the user, so thieves would be unable to swipe credit card information for use elsewhere.

Sony said it has already fixed the issue and that the network's security has been restored. The company has contacted users that it believes may have been victims of the security breach, and suggests that concerned gamers can ensure their accounts are safe simply by logging in with their pre-set password.

Darwina comes to Xbox 360

Remember Dawinia from 2005, remember its awesome gameplay? Well, Microsoft is publishing it for the Xbox 360 platform, and tweaking it to look cool just like the original PC game. No further details is added about its release date

NCsoft prepares to make two Unreal MMORGS

Remember Gears of War and Bioshock, the top ten in the market? And Unreal, just behind them? The Unreal Engine 3 sends shocking graphics but NCsoft declares that they are going to make 2 MMORGS using the Unreal Engine 2 which is shocking. Well no other comments was sent so no other post

Wierd game?

Wow, remember Chrono Twin? Weird game that was, but Enjoyup is making another game for the Nintendo DS called Zombie BBQ which is based on Little Red Riding Hood after the wolf's death and these zombie shit comes up and... don't know the rest. But all I know is, It's Weird!

Grand Turismo 5 Prologue tunes in

Grand Turismo 5 Prologue, which comes exclusively to PS3 at April 15 for North America, comes in with 70 different cars and lot's of awesome racing tracks. But one more thing to it, soundtracks.

Lot's of soundtracks from around the world are placed in GT5 Prologue, which is listed below:

North American Tracks
Weezer - "Automatic" (LA Riots remix)
The Mars Volta - "Goliath" (EL-P remix)
Justice - "Let There Be Light"
SebastiAn - "Dolami"
Kavinsky - "Testarossa Autodrive" (SebastiAn remix)
DJ Shadow - "Love Love"
Does it Offend You, Yeah? - "With a Heavy Heart (I Regret to Inform You)"
The Earaches - "Not the Kind of Man I Am"
Thin Lizzy - "The Rocker (Richard Evans Mix)"
The Klaxons - "Golden Skans"
Friendly Fires - "On Board"
Pride Tiger - "Let 'Em Go"

International Tracks
Masahiro Andoh - "Moon Over the Castle" (Gran Turismo 5 Prologue version)
Nittoku Inoue - "Road Star"
Nittoku Inoue - "100,000 R.P.M."
Nittoku Inoue - "Get Away"
Nittoku Inoue - "V12"
Nittoku Inoue - "Kill Switch"
naomee - "Vanish From Angel"
naomee - "Sky High Mountain Breeze"
naomee - "Twieky 4"
Daiki Kasho - "Surv1v3"
Daiki Kasho - "Edge of the World"
Daiki Kasho - "Flow"
Goose - "Check"
Goose - "3T4"
Goose - "Everybody"
Backdraft feat. Tor - "Off the Wall"
Alloy Mental - "We Have Control"
Reverend & The Makers - "The Machine"

New Songs for Rock Band

Rock band just released their new songs for their gameplay from the album Boston

The new downloadable songs use the band's original recordings of "More Than a Feeling," "Peace of Mind," "Rock and Roll Band," "Smokin'," "Hitch a Ride," and "Something About You." The sole track on the album that has yet to appear in Rock Band is "Let Me Take You Home Tonight."

Each song worth $2 for the Xbox 360 individual or $10 for the whole songs, PS3 version is coming out soon

Microsoft delares no cheating in gamepoints

Well, no cheating guys, Microsoft announced who ever cheats to get achievements for gamerpoints will have their accounts reset to zero, meaning no cheating. Cheats can also go to banning your account or/and console. Which is fucking bad!

Final Fantasy: Crisis Core

Yay, the Final Fantasy: Crisis Core is shipping out on March 24 - 28

Official Sims 3

Remember the other Sim games, remember how the graphics were so poor, and you had limited options. Well, EA announced that they are releasing The Sims 3 in 2009 with better graphics, a skill to freely roam around the streets and suburb (although not around the country), and tweaked it to have a more realistic personality such as would you want your sim to be mean to their parents and all the stuff you can do. Actually there are over 7 million combinations.

They also tweaked other items too, such as you can customize your house more carefully and customize how your Sim to look like with a bit more textures.

The Sims started back at 2000 where they sold over 9 million copies and translated into 22 languages, and The Sims 3 are released at 2009 for the PC. EA did not mention the game going into any console platform

Game of The Year 2007

Gamespot
Nominees:
Bioshock
The Orange Box
RockBand
God of War 2
Crysis
World in Conflict
Super Mario Galaxy
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Forza Motorsport 2
Halo 3

Winner: Super Mario Galaxy (damn!)

IGN
Nominees:
Bioshock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Mass Effect
The Orange Box
Super Mario Galaxy

Winner: Super Mario Galaxy (>:()

GameTrailers
Nominees:
Bioshock
Halo 3
Mass Effect
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Winner: Super Mario Galaxy (pissed)

Grand Theft Auto 4 Trailer #2

Grand Theft Auto 4 Trailer #1

Grand Theft Auto 4 Trailer #3

Grand Theft Auto 4 release date

Grand Theft Auto 4 game is coming out on the April 29th 2008, come on Rockstar, don't delay this one, you son of a bitch.

(jks)

Born: 25th of March 2008

Hooray, this blog has been born, not useful yet though. I wonder if the mum is happy about this baby blog :)